Eternal Flame
by claraowl
Summary: Set in a slightly off-canon sixth year, Hermione decides to do something about loving Ron. Her solution? Planning a house-wide dance! Set as a songfic to the Bangles's "Eternal Flame", this popped into my head one night and refused to leave.


Eternal Flame

A Romione fanfic

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own anything except the plot (which has probably been picked over too many times to count), and I know that Hermione might be slightly OoC, but, c'mon, she can't be that stuck on the rules. We all have a bit of a rebel in us, don't we? So why can't she? *sighs* I don't own any of the Muggle songs or the characters or basically anything. If only… Also, this takes place in 6th year, so it goes off track of the book more than a bit, obviously.

Ginny's P. O. V.

A mysterious notice had gone up in the Gryffindor common room on the last day of exams. It was announcing that there was to be a small dance in the Gryffindor common room two days later. It said that the dance was to be a good way to get rid of rather a lot of stress, and that it might be a good idea to wear something slightly fancy. It was an exciting announcement, but it was not signed. It was hand printed, but no one recognized the printing. It was small and slightly askew, making some of the letters hard to read. Nobody recognized it. Nobody, that is, except me. I knew who this odd printing belonged to: the last person most people would expect to plan something like a dance. Hermione Granger.

Now, I know Hermione. She's the best girl friend a girl could have. Most people think that she's quite boring, but I know that she has more trouble-making hidden behind that calm, smart profile than my twin brothers combined. And that, darling, is saying something, when you think about Fred and George. She manages to get away with a lot of mischief-making simply because of the name and image she's put up for people to see.

Like the time in my second year she caused giant spider webs to cover every doorway in the castle, covering everyone in the sticky strings and getting several people stuck. She told me about this, saying matter-of-factly in conclusion, "Of course, I had to get stuck as well, so as not to draw any attention."

Or the time in the November of my third year when she hexed a whole load of candies so that when somebody bit into them, they got covered in vivid orange paint. This one got blamed on Fred and George, who told me that they are still trying to figure out who did it so they can ask for the hex. Hermione told me that she'd dreamed it up (literally).

Later that year she did something so that every time someone said the word 'bounce', a pie would fall on the head of the nearest Slytherin. She refuses to tell me how she managed that one. Somehow the word got out about how to work this one, so someone (I believe that it was one of my brothers) made up a song about bouncing ferrets. "_Bounce, bounce, bounce, goes the ferret, bounce, bounce, bounce quite well, bounce, bounce, bounce, goes the ferret, bounce, bounce, bouncing down the well." _She then hexed the song so that it had the same effect if someone hummed or whistled it.

The list goes on and on. Quite the little devil, isn't she? Not at all what most people think about her. I know for a fact that she hasn't told Harry or Ron about this yet. I also know that she probably won't. The reason she gave me was that she "mustn't dare blow her cover", but I know better. She's afraid that it'll make Ron think less of her. She's afraid that he'll tease her, she'll blow up, and they'll have another row. Yep, you guessed it. She fancies my brother.

And I'm not talking about a little I'll-get-over-it-in-a-few-days-fancy. I'm talking a big-time fancy. The Oh-my-goodness-I'm-in-love-with-him kind of fancy. And this isn't a recent development. She's had the hots for him since their first year. And I have a feeling that she's not going to get over it. My closest girl friend is in love with my older brother. It's a little awkward, but nothing too bad. And I now have a dealing card. She tells me things that neither of us are supposed to know and drops hints to Harry of how he should look my way more often. (If you know what I mean, and I must say that it worked.) And in return I tell her all of Ron's embarrassing stories and such things he wouldn't want me to tell her in a million years, along with trying to pound a hint into his thick skull every now and again. But still-ugh. She has no taste in men. My brother, honestly…

Where was I? Oh yes. Her little notice about the dance. After exams that night, I go into her dormitory and find her sitting there with only Crookshanks for company. I'm not surprised; everyone else is downstairs celebrating the end of exams. She's sitting on the floor in front of her bed, going through Muggle CDs. She looks up, startled when she hears the door open, then grins mischievously when she sees that it's me. "Wondering when you'd be coming to see me. I take it that you recognized my printing?"

"Naturally. What are you planning this time?"

She grins. "Care to hazard a guess?"

"Spiking the pumpkin juice," I start.

"Nope," she replies, going through the different choices of music.

"Er… doing something to the food." I honestly have no idea what this girl is planning.

"Not even close." She enjoys this.

"Setting a hex on everyone so that they all do an utterly ridiculous-looking dance." I'm running out of ideas.

"Nuh-uh." She's giggling.

I decide to say the most out-there thing I can think of. "You're finally going to do something about how much you fancy my brother."

She stops giggling and turns bright pink. "Correct."

I raise my eyebrows. "Seriously?"

She nods. "I'm sick and tired of hinting and hinting and never getting anything through to him. Honestly, I need to get this out. If I have to wait any longer I'm going to send a brigade of spiders at him. I'm tired of thinking 'what if'!" she exploded, causing Crookshanks to jump and hiss. He then proceeded to alight on her bed, pull something out from under her pillow, and try to destroy it. She gave a sigh of frustration as she pulled Ron's picture from Crookshanks' mouth. "How many times, Crookie? How many times must I tell you that I hexed the picture, and no matter how many times you bite it, it won't do any damage?" I looked at her in disgust. She keeps a picture of him under her pillow? I really wish she had better taste in men. But if it's my brother she wants, it's my brother she will get.

"Anyway," I said, rubbing my hands together, "shall I help you plan this?" I felt the Weasley grin cross my face as she nodded, an equally evil grin on hers. And so we began to plan and plot, struggling to get everything prepared just in time.

Meanwhile, rumours had started springing up all over the common room. The notice having appeared apparently out of nowhere and having no one to put a face to it, rumours were to be expected. But neither of us had expected them to be this out of control. There were ever so many. Who was behind it. Who was going to dance with whom. Who was going to be wearing what. And the craziest one (and also the only one that didn't reach Hermione's ears) was that Ron and Hermione were going to get together during it. People actually had bets on this! I couldn't believe that one rumour had hit so close to home.

Hermione's P. O. V.

The night before the dance, I slipped into the boy's dormitory shortly after everyone was asleep. Padding quietly over to Ron's bed, I did a simple spell on myself to make it appear as if I was a thing in a dream. I gently poked him awake. "Wha…?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Ron?"

He blinked several times and gave a start. "Hermione? What're you doing here?" The poor guy was completely bemused as to why I was in his dormitory after midnight.

"Shh, Ron, it's okay, it's just a dream. I just need to you to promise me something."

"What?"

I swallowed. "Save one dance for me, okay?"

"Err…alright. I promise."

I smiled. "Good. Now, remember this, won't you? Sleep well." And I slipped out as silently as I had come, taking the spell off once I was out of sight.

Everything was set up. People would be start coming down at any moment. Ginny and I had had to set up everything quickly and then rush up to the dormitories to prepare ourselves. We'd done a pretty good job of moving everything out of the way and creating a dance floor. We just hoped as we set off for our separate living spaces that we could do as good of a job on ourselves.

Once I had reached my dormitory, the other girls had demanded to know where I'd been. "The library," I replied, "I was reading and I lost track of time."

Parvati sighed as she selected a pair of earrings to match her dress robes, "How could you do a thing like that? You could've-oooh!" she cut herself off with a squeal. I'd just withdrawn my outfit from my trunk, and I suppose that my selection had surprised her. It surprised me as well, really- it had been a birthday gift from my favourite aunt. It wasn't the type of thing you'd usually see me wear.

It was a deep purple, not deep enough to be dull, but deep enough to give a pleasant slimming effect and catch your eye. It hit just above the knee, and the neckline was just low enough to entice someone. It also happened to be a square neckline, which I am lucky enough to be able to pull off. It was sleeveless. Also, it had a pair of built-in shorts, which made it perfect for dancing. And it didn't hurt that the fabric shimmered in the light. Aunt Em had really outdone herself. Even I had to admit that the dress was stunning. I just hoped that it would be enough to catch Ron's eye.

All the girls were staring at me as I dressed hurriedly. There were a few minutes of ringing silence, just enough time to get the dress on and coax my hair back into a loose ponytail, before they started bombarding me with questions.

"Where did you get that?" Parvati squealed.

Lavender demanded, "Why didn't you show us this before?"

At the same time, Mary sighed, "It's so beautiful-who gave it to you?"

Eva requested, "May I try it on after the dance?"

I did my best to answer their questions as I got ready. I did a light make-up job, pulled on some purple flats, and put on some jewellery: a pair of small heart earrings and a silver chain with a heart on it. Then I located the perfume Ron had given me in fifth year and sprayed one tiny spritz on the back of my neck. It didn't really smell like anything once I put it on, but in the bottle it always smelled like cinnamon. It is a rather unusual thing, to say the least. I was ready.

Standing up, I smoothed down my dress and turned to face the girls in my dorm. "Let's get a picture, shall we?" Crookshanks turned up with his little camera just as Ginny and the girls from her dorm came in. We formed one big group, smiled, and Crookshanks took the shot. Then we all headed down to the common room. It was time for the dance.

Our group was the last to arrive. I suppose that everyone must be rather excited for this. Looking around, Ginny and I checked that everyone was here. Seeing that everyone was present, I clicked my fingers once, causing the spell that I'd cast earlier to jump into effect. The lights dimmed slightly, a few lights shone on the dance floor, and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington floated through the wall. Smiling at all of them as he glided up to the microphone, he began, "Good evening and welcome to a rather impromptu evening dedicated to the fine art of dancing. I was asked to be the music announcer by a pair of not very widely known trouble makers, who, for purposes best known to them, have asked me not to reveal their names. These two have compiled a mix of Muggle songs for your enjoyment. First up is a peppy song called "Manic Monday". Let the dancing begin!" And with a great flourish of his arms, the music began. Ginny and I quickly got a group of girls up on the dance floor.

_Six o'clock already? _

_I was just in the middle of a dream._

_I was kissin' Valentino by a _

_Crystal blue Italian stream._

_But I can't be late _

'_Cause I guess I just won't get paid._

_These are the days when _

_You wish your bed was already made._

_Just another manic Monday._

By this point, some of the boys had edged their way onto the dance floor, looking nervous. A few of the other girls took pity on them and paired up with them. Then all the first years came out and started dancing. Eventually, everyone was on the dance floor. About three and a half hours later, Nick announced, "It is now due time for a slow song. But first… "The Bunny Hop"!"

I grinned. I loved dancing to this! Grandpa had taught it to me when I was five. The music came on, and I began to dance.

_Da da da da da da, _

_Da da da da,_

_Da da da da da da,_

_Hop, hop, hop. _

I know I looked ridiculous, but it was fun. After a bit, everyone knew how to do 'The Bunny Hop'. So we all did. And we all looked thoroughly ridiculous.

Once the song stopped, Nick announced, "_Now_ it is time for that slow song I mentioned earlier. So here is a favourite of many… "Eternal Flame"."

I turned around, looking for Ron, and banged right into him. "Hey." He was looking at me in an odd fashion, half gaping, half looking as if something was wrong.

"Hey, yourself." I replied, raising my eyebrows, then smiling. "I believe you owe me a dance?" The music started playing as he nodded, looking relieved, and took my hand.

_Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling_

He stood there, uncertain what to do.

_Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?_

I drew closer, placing his other hand on my waist, holding on to the one that was already entwined with mine, and placed my free hand on his shoulder.

_Do you feel the same, _

Tingles raced up and down my spine as we started to move to the rhythm of the song. I wished that this dance could go on forever.

_am I only dreaming?_

If this is a dream, I don't want to be woken up.

Ron's P. O. V.

I'm dancing with Hermione. Blimey, she looks gorgeous tonight. Of course, she looks gorgeous all the time, but still…I don't ever want this moment to end. I had a dream last night, where she came and asked me to promise one dance to her. And now she somehow knows about it. What if it wasn't a dream?

_Is this burning an eternal flame?_

She shifts a bit closer to me, raising her eyes to meet mine. We share a look- not an exasperated one or an angry one, like usual, but one that's different. My heart starts beating faster. She's never looked at me like that before.

_I believe it's meant to be, darling_

I've fancied Hermione for the entire time I've known her. I didn't realize this until a few months after the Yule Ball. But it's true. I'm in love with her.

_I watch you when you are sleeping,_

I'm such a prat, falling for one of my best friends. I remember, when she stayed at the Burrow last summer, how I used to go down and watch her in her sleep after I had a nightmare. It always calmed me down. Ginny caught me a couple times. That was really embarrassing.

_you belong to me_

She has my first kiss. An accident, really, but she slipped on a wet rock on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, I caught her, and well, we kissed. She said that that was her first kiss. So I suppose I can say that part of her belongs to me, and me to her.

_Do you feel the same, _

The way she's looking up at me right now, shifting closer to me- it's all I can do to keep myself from scooping her up in my arms and snoggi- no, wait, kissing her. Somehow the word snog doesn't seem to fit Hermione. Of course, this is not a point of much importance. She wouldn't let me kiss her in the first place.

_am I only dreaming_

But the way she's looking at me right now… It's almost as if she wants me to. No. That's ridiculous. She wouldn't want to kiss me.

_Or is this burning an eternal flame?_

She just shifted closer to me, putting her head on my shoulder, the top of her head tickling my chin. Wait, what? I heard her giving a small sigh of contentment. It's just then that I am struck anew at how beautiful she is. I noticed her new dress as soon as she came down the stairs in that group of girls. Harry had had to hit me on the arm to stop me from gaping. Hermione's breath is warm on my shoulder. My head is spinning.

_Say my name, sun shines through the rain_

"Ron?" she whispers. I love how she says my name. She always makes me feel as if I was floating ten feet off of the ground.

"Yeah?" I murmur back.

_A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain_

"Are you having fun?"

I have to bite back several replies, some of which are indecent, some of which dumb, and others that are along the lines of just kissing her. "Yeah. Who ever those two people are who planned this really knew what they were doing. Do you know who they are? I'd like to thank them once this is done."

_I don't want to lose this feeling_

"I'm having fun, too. And I do know who they are."

_[There is a small break in the lyrics as the music continues to play.]_

I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not. Hermione knows everything, and yet this seems so well planned. What if she…? No. Nick said 'troublemakers'. But still…this is Hermione's style, somehow. Mixed with Ginny's, a bit.

Hermione's P. O. V.

_Say my name, sun shines through the rain_

"Hermione? Who are they?" I feel my insides freeze. I can't lie, not to Ron. Not when he says my name like that…

_A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain_

Ron's always been there for me…always. He is actually more sympathetic than some people think. He's held me up so many times, and stood up for me… I've got to tell him. "Ginny and I planned it. I came up with the idea, Ginny found out and we pulled it off." There. I've said it.

"Why did you?" Such an innocent question, such simple curiosity. Oh, Ron…

_I don't want to lose this feeling_

"I…I wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

Now, girl, before you lose your nerve. Tell him. We're still dancing, our bodies are touching, oh… we're so close…

_Close your eyes and give me your hand_

"Ron, do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then let me see you hand for a moment." He obeys, taking his hand off of my waist, holding it up for me. I take it and gently lay it across my rapidly pounding heart. I put my hand over his heart.

_Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? _

I realize something then. Our hearts are both beating rapidly, yet perfectly in sync… "Ron… you always have this affect on me. Always."

_Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming_

I'm blushing as I say this and I notice that his ears are scarlet as he speaks. "You have always… had that affect on me too, Hermione…" If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.

_Or is this burning an eternal flame?_

"I love you." We've spoken at the same time. We grin at each other wordlessly for a while.

_[Another break in the lyrics]_

Our expressions are softening. Our faces draw nearer. Our eyes close.

_Is this burning an eternal flame?_

We kiss. Bliss, total and complete bliss.

Ginny's P. O. V.

_An eternal flame?_

About time. Nudging Harry, I point at the two lovebirds. He looks vaguely amused, and agrees with me. "About time."

Then smirking, he walks over to Neville and indicates the two of them. Neville grins, slaps him on the shoulder, and walks over to Seamus and Dean, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder as he sticks out his palm. Scowling as they observe Ron and Hermione, they dig into their pockets and pay up. Harry and I look at each other and laugh as Neville continues to do so with everyone who bet. He was the only one who had faith in the two of them. Good job, Neville!

Ron and Hermione are still kissing. It takes them several more long moments to break apart, after which they blush madly and grin like idiots. But at least they're happy idiots.

No one's P. O. V.

_(Close your eyes and give me your hand_

_Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?_

_Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming_

_Or is this burning an eternal flame?)_

And so they danced together for the rest of the night. They felt, they understood, they did, they weren't, and it is. And so it stayed until the end of their lives, and maybe even beyond that.

*Finish*

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Did you like Crookie with his little camera? Somehow, being ½ kneazle, I think that he'd know how to use one. Hermione probably gave him the little camera! PLEASE review- it means everything to us wannabe authors!

…I am such a sap…

…..but at least I'm a happy sap! XD


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